Project Files: Episode 70 — Rooftop Replacement at Texas Motor Speedway
New Rheem RTUs boost overall equipment efficiency
Every race day, Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, attracts more than 154,000 spectators for the electrifying experience of NASCAR.
On scorching days in the Texas sun, the excitement only adds to hot temperatures, which regularly top 100° in the summer. It’s why the famed racetrack invested in a new cooling system, replacing the original units that were installed for the track’s 1997 opening.
Although most of Texas Motor Speedway’s 1,500 acres are outside, its 200 luxury guest suites are where select clientele come to watch the races in comfort, out of the sun. The speedway’s original HVAC equipment, installed nearly 30 years ago, needed an upgrade. It was outdated, and with one HVAC unit per suite, the cost to run and maintain the equipment was significant.
Dallas-based Mechanical Partners Inc. worked with Gemaire Distributors and the Rheem commercial air team to select more efficient heating and cooling equipment for Texas Motor Speedway. Together, they upgraded the packaged rooftop HVAC units to 10-ton Renaissance packaged units, featuring factory-installed economizers and VFDs to boost overall equipment efficiency.
The economizers are factory-installed, which John Blackall, director of service at Mechanical Partners, said saves an hour to an hour and a half on installation. In general, they are easy to install and service — there’s easy access to everything through the side panel.
The Rheem Commercial Renaissance Line was crafted with smart new features and exclusive PlusOne advantages for easy replacement, installation, and service. PlusOne ServiceSmart features such as the Qwik-clean drain pan and Qwik-change flex-fit filter rack will help make routine maintenance easier and faster, and the higher efficiency features will keep Texas Motor Speedway’s guests comfortable for years to come.
With a race set to take place shortly after the install, the old equipment needed to be lifted off the speedway’s roof and replaced by new units with help from a helicopter — a huge undertaking, yet the most efficient. Once the replacement units were on the roof, the Mechanical Partners team quickly moved in to connect and commission the units. Thanks to months of preparation and hard work, the units were quickly and successfully up and running, just in time for a packed house on a triple-digit day.
Nineteen air conditioning units were replaced in this project. Speedway management says they plan to replace 150, over a several-year period.
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